Delhi High Court on Thursday sought the Uttar Pradesh Government's response on BJP leader Subramanian Swamy's plea seeking further probe to ascertain the alleged role of P Chidambaram, who was Minister of State for Home during the 1987 Hashimpura massacre that had claimed 42 lives.
A bench of justices G S Sistani and Sangita Dhingra Sehgal also sought replies of all 16 acquitted police persons on appeals by State of UP, National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) and some private parties including Zulfiqar Nasir, a survivor of the massacre, against a trial court's order.
The trial court had acquitted the accused policemen of charges of murder and other alleged offences in the case. The Bench has listed the matters for hearing on May 19. In its plea, NHRC has sought further probe into the massacre in the Hashimpura locality of Meerut. Prior to NHRC, the UP Government as well as survivors and kin of the victims had moved the court challenging the acquittal of these policemen.
In his plea, Swamy has also challenged the trial court's March 8, 2013 decision dismissing his plea against Chidambaram, who was the Minister between 1986 and 1989. Swamy has sought further probe saying, "It was admitted on the floor of Parliament by the then Minister of State for Home Affairs P Chidambaram that the situation was calm on May 19 to May 22, 1987.